NGE: Angel Opposition Agency, Divergent Scenario
by Kriegsherr
Summary: Book One: Divergent Scenario. Continuation fic, post EoE. What if Third Impact were avoided, and different choices had been made during the JSSDF attack on NERV HQ? What would change after that?
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Studio Gainax owns Neon Genesis Evangelion. Any other name, product, or etc. are registered, trademarked, and/or copyrighted by their respective owners. Should they, or their affiliates, request it, I shall remove this fan fiction from the Web. Thank you.**

**Author's notes:** Well, here I am again, writing another fic! This fic is an alternate storyline of what could have happened with a few divergences during the events in EoE. The fic will have moments of strong language, violence, and sexuality, so if you are disturbed by those types of depictions please take this as a warning. This will also be an angsty fic, though at this point I don't know if it'll become a full on darkfic. Just warning you ahead of time. Well, enough rambling from me, and on to the fic...!

" " : Indicates spoken words.

_italics _: Indicate thoughts.

] [ : Indicates radio transmissions.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angel Opposition Agency**

Book 1: Divergent Scenario; Chapter 1

**Every one of us, already plagued;  
soon to wipe out the human race.**

**A planet of life, infected since birth;  
dominated by power, war, and wealth.**

**Over time accelerated;  
a vicious circle we have perpetuated;  
we will die before we wake;  
we'll never know it's too late!**

**This graveyard earth...**

**Time to bleed again and again;  
when it's all over we'll just be bones in the sand;  
monuments built of stone and blood and skin;  
decaying through the years and found by no one!**

Excerpt from: This Graveyard Earth by Six Feet Under.

**Tokyo-3, ****June Eighth, 2015****; 9:55 A.M.** NERV Headquarters parking garage 3-47.

Shinji Ikari sat underneath an open sided set of metal stairs. The stairs were part of an alcove in a building side corner of one of several large parking garages within NERV Headquarters. The alcove also lead to a corridor that lead to the depths of the massive pyramidal structure. He sat on the bare concrete with his legs hunched up to his chest, his arms circling his shins, and his head resting on his knees. He wore his familiar school uniform, though it was now rumpled and a bit dirty. The young man sat in a manner of someone trying to hide. The phrase hidden was somewhat of a misnomer, however, as it was not difficult to find him in his current location. Not that it really mattered to the young man. In all actuality, he would almost welcome death at this point in time. The sounds of gunfire drifted to him, quieted by both distance and his location under the stairwell. _Everyone's going to die... Nothing matters, though, so I guess I shouldn't really care..._ He looked up from his position under the stairs. His young, though already handsome features were clouded in immense pain. He panned his gaze around the parking garage before him, taking in the cars that were there, as he thought of what had made him choose to await his fate here.

The darkness of the place had been one thing that had brought him here. It was a very gloomy, oppressive darkness, very much in keeping with his current state of mine. The smell of the place was another. It smelled dank, though not in the musty, mildew tainted manner of an abandoned house. This was different, the smell of an immense building, the air of which was conditioned to be a certain way at all times, except in areas such as this. Here the air was merely recirculated to the outside of NERV's massive headquarters building, where it was filtered in a fairly rudimentary manner and released into the atmosphere. He could feel the air being slowly pulled by him and through the grate in the wall behind him. As it did so, it brought the smell of the parking garage with it. The stale, heavy odor from oil stains in the concrete. The residual odor of exhaust from the numerous vehicles that still used the garage. Even the arid smell of dirt and dust that had collected within the confines of the garage. All of these smells persisted here despite the best efforts of NERV's massive air circulation and conditioning system.

The overall feeling left by the smell was of a place that was dirty, filthy beyond recovery, or even of being worth recovery. _Filthy, like me..._ thought the depressed young man. _Beyond being worthy of redemption, or of ever being truly clean again._ He sighed and put his head back on his knees. _I'm scum, a creature of filth and vileness, just like the angels... My _father_ isn't even as filthy as I am!_ A tear formed at the corner of his left eye, but did not fall, as this occurred to him. He had not had very much luck with his life over the last few months. The worst, however, had been recently. Shinji closed his eyes tightly as he remembered having no choice other than to kill his best friend, Kaworu Nagisa. He had willingly crushed the life out of his friend, the only person to ever tell Shinji that they loved him, because Kaworu had also been the seventeenth angel. His betrayal had been bad enough, but what had happened that very morning was even worse, in his opinion. _Why? Why did I do it? Not even my _father _would do something like that!_ _I... I didn't mean to... I..._ He spoke softly, unconsciously running his right hand on his pant leg, his voice scarcely above that of a whisper. "I defiled her... Just the same as that damn angel..."

Against his own will, a few tears squeezed passed his eyes, following the path of dried tears that had already coursed down his face. Not a few weeks earlier, he'd told Misato Katsuragi, his guardian since he had moved to Tokyo-3, that he couldn't cry anymore. That morning, he had finally found his tears again. He had found them after visiting Asuka Langley Sohryu in her room at the NERV Central Hospital's First Cranial Nerve Department. He had initially gone to visit her, and perhaps speak to her, even if she was unconscious. That had gone terribly out of hand, though. She had not responded when he had asked for help. He had shaken her, repeatedly, until she finally fallen over onto her back, monitoring cables pulling themselves from her torso, and also pulling her hospital gown apart. He hadn't meant for that to happen, but it had, and he hadn't been expecting what he saw then.

She had only been wearing her panties underneath the flimsy garment. He had imagined seeing her revealed to him in the past, and even though the situation horrified him, he couldn't stop from looking at her half nudity. He had drank in the way her hip curved smoothly into her taut, muscular belly, then to her full, round breasts, and from there to her graceful, slender neck, and finally to her beautiful face. She had looked angelic, in the sense of how angels were supposed to be. She had looked perfect. Then he had done something he hadn't thought himself capable of. He had locked the door, and pleasured himself, gazing upon her body from a little over two meters away as brought himself to climax. While she lay there, unknowing, lost in wherever she was in her coma. He let a strangled cry of desperation escape his lips. "I _failed_ her... I've failed her _again_! I... I saw something I liked, and I..." Shinji's voice dropped again, low, but not whispering, "I'm a monster, just like that angel that raped her mind..."

He raised his head again, looking up, tears slowly streaming out of his now open eyes. His right hand slowly balled into a fist. "Why? Why did I have to fail her again? Why didn't I stop?" Shinji looked down once again his arms at his side, and slammed his right fist down onto the concrete. "Why do I always fail, especially when it comes to..." he couldn't finish the thought. It was too painful. It was a thought that made his act in Asuka's hospital room even harder to bear. "Why?" he whispered, slamming his fist down into the concrete. "Why, why, why, WHY, _WHY_?" with each question, his voice rose, and his fist slammed down harder, until he was screaming, and had nearly fractured his fist. Shinji knew the hand wasn't broken, but he still stopped, not knowing why he did so. He wrapped his arms around his shins again, and put his head back down onto his knees, "Why do I always fail her, fail everyone else I love? Why?" Shinji heard the sound of voices down the corridor. He heard hushed voices speaking, and what sounded like orders. After the orders had been given, at least two men move off from the main group, which continued towards him. He tensed, but was not truly afraid, as a thought came to him. _Maybe now all of this suffering will stop..._

**Tokyo-3, ****June Eighth, 2015****; ****9:57 A.M.** Central Dogma lower levels, clone rebirthing chamber.

Rei Ayanami stood before a tank that she knew all too well. It was her rebirthing tank, the place where she had placed her memories for the dummy plug system. It was also the place that had called her soul into its current body when she had died saving Shinji Ikari. She looked over the room, which was generally circular, except where she stood at the door. She was dressed in a school uniform, which revealed little of her physique, other than she was petite and rather small breasted. In all actuality, she was, although petite, surprisingly strong, her physique supply muscled like a gymnast's. She also looked older than her fourteen years, even wearing the school uniform as she was, with her beautiful, mature looking face, mysterious crimson eyes, and quiet, introspective manner. The room she peered into was awash in an eerie red-orange glow, the light spilling out from the room bathing the young woman almost entirely in gray and green hues. The only part of her that escaped the change brought on by the light was her deep, blood red eyes.

Rei moved forward, towards the tank in the middle of the room. The tank was a cylinder about two and a half meters tall, raised on a slight dais, and was made of a very thick layer of glass. The top of the tank was connected to a very large mass of pipes and tubing, connecting the tank to both the MAGI computer system and the sea of LCL several hundred meters below her. After staring into the place from which she had arisen in her current form, she looked at the massive glass wall surrounding her. She gazed into the depths of the amber colored LCL within the chamber, and wondered at the residue lying at the bottom of the chamber. _So you are gone, my sisters?_ she thought, confused as to why they would have been destroyed. _How, and why did this happen? This is like my memories, I see and know things, but I have no emotions connected to the people and places I see... Yet I _feel_ things I know the second incarnation of myself did not know..._

As she peered into the chamber beyond the glass, a strange realization struck her. _I am mortal now... What does this change?_ She knew now that if she died, her mission, the very reason she had been created for would fall apart. _Would that be a bad thing? I feel a bond with Humanity; I still do not understand why it should be necessary to destroy it_... She leaned forward, touching her forehead against the glass and raising her right hand, placing it upon the surprisingly warm glass next to her face. She tore her eyes from the remains of her clones to stare into the depths of the amber liquid before her, as if it held her answers. _I do not want to destroy humanity... That would cause me... What? I do not understand the emotions I feel upon thinking of Humanity's destruction. Regret? Grief?_ A memory came unbidden into her mind, one of the few that had emotions connected with it. She felt an unbearable sense of being alone, of not having another around her. "Loneliness..." she stated, her voice a low, husky whisper. _If this is how I feel while here, yet also how I feel at the thought of destroying Humanity to bring Humanity together, should I do such a thing? Should I let the Commander decide the fate for all of humanity?_

More memories assaulted her, this time of a young man, the Third Child, Shinji Ikari. She felt a pang of emotion upon seeing him, regret again, and infinite sadness, yet also joy. She knew that he would be a better choice in choosing Humanity's path, even in his disturbed state. _Why do I trust you so implicitly, Shinji Ikari? Did I care for you in my second incarnation?_ She scanned her memories, and knew that she had felt a great need to protect him, and felt it still, though not as strongly as her second incarnation. She was puzzled, not understanding what she was feeling. _Do I wish to follow through with the Commander's plan? I do not know anymore..._ She knew that she wanted to help him, even though she did not know how at the moment. She felt a peculiar sensation at that moment.

As she looked into the depths of the LCL she saw something, just on the edge of her vision. She closed her eyes on pure instinct at that moment, and _felt_ what she could barely see, almost as if it were on her own skin, and within her mind's eye, she _saw_ that which she felt. Rei shuddered as she felt the loose gossamer strands of probability that slowly wove together to make the threads of the very fabric of reality slide silkily along her body. She almost wept at the beauty of the structure of reality around her, as the divergence and convergence which made up the _now_ that she knew and the _future_ that she did not floated and wove into the solid essence of that which is the _past_. She also saw the wheel like machinations of those that would affect probability to their own ends, spinning loose threads of probability into threads that entered the fabric of reality. The sensation was very brief, one that she immediately attributed not only to her relatively close proximity with Lilith, but also to the fact that she was staring into the blood of Lilith as well. She had felt a similar, though less powerful, sensation when Shinji had been deciding whether or not to destroy the seventeenth angel, Tabris. She knew that he would make the correct decision at that very moment, and had left, knowing that Tabris had given himself over to Shinji's will at that time as well. She saw that the time was not correct to make her decision, yet that time was coming soon. She also glimpsed, at the very edge of her expanded perceptions, that there was a change coming soon. A decision would be made by one individual that would change the entire course of events to follow. The events would change not only the machinations and intrigues of those currently affecting the course of reality, but the events that had been put into affect centuries before that had _allowed_ the current course of events to happen. That person would interact with Shinji, within fifteen minutes. When the decision came to pass, she would also make hers. She knew that, although the perception she currently benefited from would have faded, she would still _feel_ the choice being made, as well as Shinji's decision based on that choice. _Choose correctly, Ikari, or all may be lost..._ Rei's reverie was broken by a low, stern, voice from behind her. _Commander Ikari... You are no longer... Agreeable..._ The sensations and knowledge she had received a moment ago faded from her mind, though the need to wait for some kind of shift was still with her, as well as the need to keep her perceptions open. She turned towards Commander Ikari, her face neutral.

"Rei… I thought I'd find you here..." Gendou said as he entered the room, his glasses glowing with the same eerie glow as the room. His face held concern for her, as well as what seemed to be mild relief at finding her. She nodded simply at his statement, waiting for him to continue. He stepped forward moving into the room, his face showing no sign of anything being out of place. "The promised time has come..." he said, almost as if intoning incantations in some kind of thaumaturgic ritual. "Let us go, Rei..." he continued, holding his left hand out before him in an almost gentlemanly gesture for her to exit the door first. Rei stepped forward at his beckoning, stepping into the hall and turning right, towards the elevators that led down to Terminal Dogma, the very heart of NERV Headquarters. _All is going perfectly according to the scenario..._ He allowed himself a rare, happy smile, which quickly devolved into a smug, self assured smirk. _Your move now, Selee._ He looked at the young woman in front of him, and felt a small pang of guilt. He had used so many, even his own son, to acquire his goal. He knew that it was necessary, however. He had the dual task of not only stopping Selee, but reuniting with Yui, and finally having a true family with her and his son as well. He only hoped that they could forgive him, someday...

**Tokyo-3, ****June Eighth, 2015****; ****10:05 A.M.** NERV Headquarters, Level 2 main passageway entrance.

The passageway was a place of carnage. Bodies of NERV security personnel littered the passageway in clumps, their blood surrounding them in quickly congealing pools. Men and women in dark Japanese Strategic Self Defense Force infantry uniforms milled about, some returning from branches of the passageway, others awaiting orders from their commanding officer. The soldiers were a sight to behold, even while standing at ease. Most of those preparing to move to lower floors were in full regalia, their weapons at the ready, their chemical-biological warfare gear covering most of their features, their vision enhancement and tactical goggles making them look more like machines of death than flesh and blood troops. Those that were in special operations teams went in without their CBW gear on, but were equally as impressive in their dark colored soft armor body suits, festooned with equipment and weapons. Those staying in the current area for more than a few moments had their masks hanging off of their faces to preserve filter time, and had their goggles pushed up from their eyes. As the company commander, a rather tall woman with the insignia of a major, listened to a radio a soldier with corporal insignia on his armored uniform ran up to a sergeant. "Sergeant, we have level two secure, with the exception of Parking Garage Three Forty-seven!"

Before the Sergeant could respond, the Major spoke quickly into her radio, and moved over to her subordinates. "Thank you corporal, carry on." The corporal saluted and moved off when the Major saluted back. She turned to the sergeant, who was at attention. "At ease... Who's securing that area?"

The sergeant smiled briefly, then spoke. "Ma'am, Second Platoon, Third Squad!"

The major nodded in a pleased, almost knowing manner, "Good, they're good men; they should be able to handle it." She bowed her head in a contemplative manner, and seemed about to speak when her radio interrupted her.

]This is Second Lieutenant Mayazuki of the Fifth Company. We're having trouble securing Command Center Two! Opposition is too strong for another assault without risking damage to the MAGI system. Requesting orders...[ The voice was strained, but not panicking.

The Major's face clouded in concern as she brought her radio up to her mouth. "This is Major Miyama of the Second, Lieutenant... What happened to your commanding officers," she heard a scream from near the lieutenant, then the staccato report of automatic gunfire, which was interrupted by the lieutenant ordering his men to hold their fire. "And what the hell is happening right now?"

]Captain Mikagi is dead, First Lieutenant Takegami has been severely wounded, and I'm the next in the chain of command. We have also taken losses due to death and wounding among out non-coms as well...[ Major Miyama heard him converse with one of his subordinates briefly before he spoke to her again. ]They've brought most of their Level Three security personnel up to the floor of the Command Center, but the one's who tore us up were on the Command Bridge. They have a very defensible position with excellent cover, they're right above the MAGI so explosives are out, and the techs are excellent shots. We've underestimated them, Ma'am, at least when it comes to the Command Center..[

"Very well, Lieutenant. We have this floor under control, so I'll send my Fourth Platoon to support you. In the mean time, you keep your people's heads down. When my reinforcements get to you, you will have until ten forty-five hours to secure Command Center Two. By that time, if you are unable to secure the Command Bridge, the Seventh and Eighth Companies will take over, and you are to make your way to..." She raised a portable data pad, bringing a schematic of the area to her screen. "Maintenance hallway MTCA dash two, take stairwell twelve fifty four to the Eva cages. My troops will be relieving First Company's Fifth, Seventh, and Ninth Squads and taking over security of the seventh and eighth Eva cages, and I'd like you to assist us in holding the cages..." The Major put her data pad away as she awaited the lieutenant's response.

]Affirmative, Ma'am! Will be awaiting your reinforcements. Mayazuki out.[ he said, his voice relieved.

"Sergeant?" The Major said, as she turned back to him.

"Yes, Ma'am?" he said, his voice sounding eager.

"Join Lieutenant Hayakawa, his orders from me are to take Fourth Platoon and rendezvous with Lieutenant Mayazuki's people. I trust his judgment of choosing a route, just don't waste time." Her tone was all business, but the sergeant still bore a smile, though it had more in common with grin of a hunter than a smile. The sergeant came to attention and brought his hand up in salute, to which the Major returned his salute and dismissed him. She returned her attention to her radio as a coded message came through on her radio. She entered the command sequence that allowed her radio to decrypt the message, and spoke into the radio. "Miyama here…" She said in an almost terse voice. She listened to the voice on the radio, confirming the orders given her as one of her squads brought a group of surrendering NERV officers to her.

The NERV officer the seemed to be the head of the group was a kindly looking man of perhaps thirty seven, small of frame, with dark, witty looking eyes and medium brown hair. With his bearing and manner, he looked much like the clichéd favorite uncle of popular television. Major Miyama raised her submachine gun towards the man, indexing her finger to the side of the trigger guard, her expression neutral. "Major," the man began after glancing at her rank insignia, his tone nervous but firm. "I and my people are just ventilation maintenance personnel; we can be of no harm to yourself or your people. We are surrendering to your authority." Major Miyama's face remained neutral, and she hefted her submachine gun to a more comfortable firing position. The man standing in front of her seemed to almost panic, his eyes going wide, and filling with fear. "Ma'am, please! I have a wife and three young children, and Megan there..." he indicated a European looking woman in her early twenties, "She just returned to work from maternity leave last week!"

Several of Major Miyama's soldiers came to surround the first third of the captives. For the most part, the NERV personnel wore expressions of fear, even panic, but only a few fearful mewlings came from their ranks. Major Miyama considered the situation and her last set of orders, and slung her submachine gun. The NERV officer's face dissolved into a look of relief, a small, relaxed sigh escaping his lips. The rest of his group also started to relax, taking his reaction as a good sign, the indicated Megan bowing her head as tears of relief flowed down her face, her lips moving in the manner of a prayer. Major Miyama's right eye twitched in disgust as the orders she'd just received came back to her mind. Mechanically, she reached for her sidearm, a Glock model eighteen military pistol. The pistol had become the standard issue to the JSSDF after Second Impact, thanks in large part to Selee's involvement in the arms industry. She removed it and thumbed the safety off in one quick, efficient maneuver, and made sure the firing mode was set to semi automatic instead of fully automatic. Seeing that it was in semi automatic mode, she registered the NERV officer's head in her sights, and squeezed off one round directly to his forehead. The man dropped to the floor, quite dead.

As the NERV officer's subordinates saw this, they're reactions were varied. Most panicked, trying to get up from the sitting position many of them had taken. A few sat still, meekly awaiting their fate. The young woman named Megan, who had so recently returned from maternity leave, looked on in shock. Her view was clear as Major Miyama numbly placed a booted foot on the NERV section head's stomach and aimed, placing one round through his heart, and yet another through his head. As Megan panned her gaze around, she was having trouble seeing as her colleagues surrounded her in a mass panicked humanity. The last thing she saw clearly was other troops begin to open fire, their submachine guns and assault rifles blazing as they unleashed death into the thirty four NERV personnel around her.

Megan was struck from behind and to her left by a rather large maintenance man as she struggled in vain to stand. This saved her life, as she was spun around, her back striking the floor with a dull thud as the man's body fell on top of her. She felt both disgust and the urge to vomit as his blood splashed over her face and upper body, matting her long blonde hair to the side of her head. She felt another body fall over the first, almost crying out in pain as this body fell upon her right knee while it was in a very awkward angle. As the shooting ebbed to nothing, she realized that she hadn't been hit, and that she was still quite alive. She kept her eyes opened, but stared at t he ceiling, hoping that perhaps she would be passed over if they checked the bodies. Then she heard the cold, almost dead sounding voice of Major Miyama as she issued yet more orders to one of her troops.

"Lieutenant Arima," the Major said, waving the young looking man over. As the lieutenant approached into a quiet enough distance to speak, she continued, a small, but noticeable amount of guilt shading her features, "Check vitals and terminate any survivors… Those are the orders from the Prime Ministers Office…"

Lieutenant Arima smiled at the slight show of disgust in her voice at the actions she was forced to take, knowing that she did not like the idea of shooting unarmed non combat personnel. It did not bother him in the slightest, and his voice even had a hint of happiness to it as he responded to her orders. "Yes, Ma'am!" he barked, and moved to the pile of bodies, checking pulses.

The Major nodded absently as the man moved over the bodies quickly but attentively. She turned away and raised her radio to her mouth once again, speaking on the general tactical network. "This is Major Miyama. I have new orders from The Prime Minister's office. The pilots of the Evangelion units are to be terminated on sight, as well as the unconditional execution of all NERV personnel, including non-combat personnel. Miyama out..."

As the orders were being given, Lieutenant Arima moved among the dead, checking pulses as ordered when he felt a very strange sensation. He felt his perceptions falter than fade, then felt an even more unique sensation, as if his very soul were flying away from his body. _Better..._ thought the new inhabitant of Lieutenant Arima's body. This inhabitant looked over the soldier's memories, committing them all to his own prodigious memory, before releasing the soul from the body. _You are a _very_ sick man, Lieutenant Arima... I think I've done the world a favor..._ The entity within Arima's body looked around and smiled, finding what he sought. _Hm... _He bent down, checking her pulse. _Good, she's still healthy. Now to let her know she's safe..._

Megan found herself looking up into a very handsome face, a different, younger face than that of the man who was supposed to be looking at her had. The man had an attractive, delicate, jaw line, and smooth skin that had a slight paleness to it. His cheekbones were set high upon his face, his brow clean and unlined. His small, thin lipped mouth was turned into a small, regretful smile, and his wide set, emotionally open eyes stared into her soul. She saw the pain in his eyes as he peered briefly at the carnage around them. His eyes softened as he saw the fear in her frightened emerald green eyes. He whispered quietly to her in her native Swiss tongue, his voice calmed her, and she felt immediate trust for him. "Do not worry child, I will not harm you… I do so wish I could have helped your coworkers, but I had to choose you, as you are so very important to the future of humanity..." His voice was very different than the one that came from him earlier. It was soft, almost feminine, and extremely caring. He touched her forehead, and she began to fall into a deep sleep. She heard the click of his pistol's safety and the report of the weapon, yet she knew she wasn't dead, and felt no pain where she was sure the bullet would have struck her. The last thing she heard and saw before unconsciousness took her was the old voice of the soldier, stating that she had been executed, and his face returning to what it had been as the man stood from his crouched position above her. She sent a silent thanks to whomever it was that had spoken to her through the man, the last thought in her mind about the beautiful, mysterious pink hue to his eyes.

Major Miyama was about to order her troops to regroup in preparation for their move to the Eva cages when she heard news over her radio that made her shake her head in pity. ]Third Child located on Level Two in the parking garage. Commencing with termination...[ As Major Miyama passed orders along to her subordinates, she marveled at how smoothly the operation had run, even with the unexpected resistance of Command Center Two, as well as the new changes to the existing battle plans.

**Tokyo-3, ****June Eighth, 2015****; ****10:16 A.M.** NERV Headquarters elevator E2-3-47.

Major Misato Katsuragi fumed silently as she leaned against the back of the personnel elevator as it descended towards Parking Garage 3-47. The elevator would open about thirty meters up a passageway from where Shinji sat hiding underneath a stairwell. _I hope that I'm not too late... Dammit, why did this have to happen?_ She slammed a fist futilely against the rear of the elevator. She felt helpless, in a manner she hadn't felt since her father had saved her from death at the site of Adam's reawakening. _Why the hell is the JSSDF attacking us? This makes no sense! _She sighed in disgust as she realized how useless contemplating the reasons for the attack were._ Maybe after this is all over we'll get some answers. _She snorted derisively at her own thought, a small, humorless smile taking to her features for a moment._ Unless I can get Shinji into Unit-01, the answers won't matter, because we'll all be dead!_

Her thoughts of Shinji brought her mind to how depressed he'd seemed the last time she'd seen him. He had been sleeping, and having a nightmare about Kawaru, calling the angel's human name out as he cried in his sleep. _Shinji... I'm sorry I wasn't there for you. I tried, but I'm no psychologist... I know how things have bothered you, and I know I should have tried harder... When we get out of this, I'm going to get someone to help you through this... No, I'll get some help for you, Asuka, and _myself_ as well..._ Misato managed a weak laugh at this, honest humor in her features. _God, Shinji, did we make a messed up little wannabe family or what? I wish I could have made a _real_ family. Or at the very least adopted you, to let you know that I loved you, that you weren't "just my job"… Maybe we _would_ have made a good family. You, me… Kaji..._ She smiled sadly as she thought of the man she had loved since college, trying to force back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes._ Misato Kaji... That sounds so, I don't know, weird, I guess! And it could have happened… I could have been married to him if I wouldn't have been so damn foolish..._ She put her hands to her face, wiping the few tears that had forced their way past her control and had flowed from her eyes. "I miss you so much, Kaji". Misato whispered as she looked down at the pendant that hung from around her neck, smiling as she hefted it in her left hand. "I wish I'd told you how much I love you..." She let the pendant drop back to its place, and a wistful, regret filled smile took to her face, as she looked up towards the ceiling of the elevator. "Are you watching me now, Kaji? I hope so... I hope you're guarding me from wherever you are... I hope that you help me make the right decisions from now on..."

She dropped her eyes from the ceiling, tilting her head down towards the floor of the elevator in thought. _No matter what happens, though, I hope you find someone that you can love, Shinji. And if you do, I want you to hold on to them with both hands, and never let go!_ Misato smiled as she thought back several months, when the seventh angel had come. She remembered how Kaji had come up with a plan to help her, involving Shinji and Asuka fighting in perfect synchronization. She remembered how close they seemed to have become, especially near the end of the training. _It would be nice if it was Asuka. You both need someone so much…_ She snorted in a derisive manner. _Not that I'm much to talk of relationships… Hell, I was so damn jealous of Asuka and her damn infatuation with Kaji that I didn't even see how much _I_ needed him. Now Kaji's dead, and I have Asuka in Unit-02 under that damn lake. I hope she'll be alright there. I hope…_ She sighed lightly, not sure what she hoped at that moment. She thought about it for a moment, finally answering her question aloud. "I hope that we get through this alive…" She looked at the floor indicator, watching it steadily move downwards. _Just a few minutes now until I'm there. I hope I'm not too late… For a lot of things…_ Again she thought of Asuka, especially when the girl had been younger. _We were friends then, weren't we, Asuka? I thought we were. What was it that killed that? Were you jealous that Kaji chose me instead of you? I know that I was jealous of the time you'd had with him._ Misato looked back towards the doors of the elevator, a look of regret crossing her face. _I should have tried harder though… Tried to get past my own petty jealousy. Tried to become your friend, not just your guardian._ Misato closed her eyes in shame at her last thought, and bowed her head again, whispering softly to herself. "I guess it's kind of like we were sisters. You liked the guy who liked me, and that made me jealous enough to want him to prove he loved me more… Oh, hell, I guess you are like a little sister to me. Ever since I watched over you in Germany before Kaji took over for me, I kind of felt that way… I guess… I guess I could have tried harder." Misato looked up as the elevator slowed, her face hardening. "No, I _should_ have tried harder. And I will, when we get through this. But that's later… Now I have no time now to worry about what could have been, or what will be…"

Misato slid her service sidearm, a Glock Model 17 nine millimeter pistol, from its holster. She depressed the clip release and caught it before it released completely, looking at it to confirm that it was fully loaded. She slid the clip back into the pistol's grip, making sure it was properly seated with a light slap to the bottom of the clip. She pulled the slide back and released it, chambering a round and cocking the pistol, and thumbed off the safety, indexing her finger on the trigger guard. _I just hope that I'm not too late to be of any help to Shinji…_

**Tokyo-3, ****June Eighth, 2015****; 10:19 A.M.** NERV Headquarters parking garage 3-47.

First Sergeant Toshi Hirayama edged his way up to the corner at the end of the corridor he was leading his troops down. He went into a low crouch, peering further down the corridor to where he could see a stairwell and another corridor leading to the right. After confirming that the area of the corridor he was in was secure, he waved the other four troops in his squad forward. The troops were all dressed like him, in black colored jumpsuits. The suits were a lightweight, form fitting material, layered with Kevlar ballistic resistant fibers, and had places to attach web style weight reduction gear built in. The helmets were also black in color, and had goggles attached to them that held both lowlight and infrared image enhancement electronics, but also held a heads up display for communications and other essentials. As the troops came up, Sergeant Hirayama signaled them to hold behind them, and glanced briefly around the corner and into the parking garage to his left. Seeing nobody, he pulled back, and something caught his attention out of the corner of his eye. He saw a flash of white, like that of a shirt, and the color of pale skin underneath the stairwell ahead of him and to his left. He nodded to himself, and pointed at two of his subordinates, signaling them to round the corner to his left and sweep and secure the parking area. He angled his assault rifle up as the first two moved into position, awaiting his signal. He nodded at them, and they moved off, covering each other in leapfrog style movement, as the other two moved up to take their place behind him.

He waited until the first two troops had moved about a quarter of the way towards the other end of the parking garage, then moved across the gap between himself and the small alcove in which the stairwell had been built. One of Hirayama's troops took to the right side of the corridor, his assault rifle angled up towards the stairwell. The other soldier, the only woman of the group, stood above and behind Hirayama, covering the other corridor as they approached it, while Hirayama himself covered where he believed he'd seen someone. He was not surprised when he found someone sitting there, but he was surprised to see that it appeared to be a boy, perhaps in his early teens. Hirayama consulted his HUD, checking to see if this young man was one of the Children. He smiled humorlessly as his suspicion was confirmed, and he pulled his radio's boom microphone down to his mouth. "Third Child located on Level Two in the parking garage. Commencing with termination..." His voice was cold and impersonal, with no hint of remorse. Shinji didn't move, or even seem to acknowledge his presence, and remained huddled in the same position the soldiers had found him in. This surprised Hirayama, who had been expecting panic, or perhaps even to hear the young man before him to beg for his life. _Ballsy little bastard, that's for sure._ he thought as he pulled his pistol from its holster. He made sure it was in semi automatic mode and that the safety was off, then placed it to the back of Shinji's head.

The soldier that had been guarding the stairwell looked over, as if eager to witness the execution. The other soldier kept her gaze resolutely on the corridor she was guarding. None of them saw an elevator about thirty meters down the corridor they had come from open, admitting someone into the corridor. The person was a woman, wearing a one piece, form fitting brown dress, and the red jacket of NERV Command Personnel. The woman was Major Misato Katsuragi, and she did not like the scene before her in the slightest. _Shinij! Oh, no you don't, you bastards!_ She ran forward, trying to be as quite as possible while still making good time towards her ward.

Sergeant Hirayama looked down at the boy on the floor, almost feeling pity for him as he spoke. "Nothing personal, kid…" His finger was tightening on the trigger when he heard a loud report to his right, and felt the spray of blood, bone, and brain matter from the head of the soldier that had been covering the stairwell. As the soldier guarding the other corridor moved back to cover the sergeant, Hirayama dropped his sidearm, reaching down to bring his assault rifle to bear as he turned quickly towards his right. He amazed to see a woman with raven black hair running towards him, firing with deadly accuracy as her bullets ripped into the head of his remaining subordinate in the stairwell alcove. The soldier dropped, the last command she had sent to her hand causing her hand to squeeze off a burst of fire into the ceiling of the alcove before falling fully backwards, dead. Sergeant Hirayama squeezed off a short burst towards the woman closing the last couple of meters to him when she side stepped his line of fire, kicking him squarely in the upper chest.

Misato had run quickly, closing the thirty meter gap between her and the soldiers in less than two seconds, waiting until she was only a few meters from them before opening fire with her pistol. As the soldier still standing brought his assault rifle to bear, she side stepped slightly and sent a kick flying towards him, connecting squarely upon his chest. As the man flew back into the wall, she followed him, slamming her pistol's barrel under his chin painfully. The man pulled his face up and away in an attempt to alleviate the pain in his jaw line, when he heard words that made his blood run cold. "Nothing personal on my end, either, you heartless son of a bitch!" Misato's voice was very cynical, indeed, almost cruel as she spoke. She pulled the trigger, ending the man's life in a spray of blood and brain matter against the wall of the corridor. She turned to Shinji, who was now shaking, his hands covering his head protectively. "Shinji?" As Misato called his name, Shinji flinched, but remained cowering on the floor, afraid to move from the spot he was in. Misato sighed heavily, her eyes rueful, and she hoped that Shinji didn't hate her for having him by killing the people who would have killed him. "Shinji, let's go to Unit One…" she called softly, crouching down to look at his face. Seeing that he seemed to be catatonic, Misato reached to grab his arm, and was startled as he flinched away from her. She grumbled a curse under her breath, pulling back to survey the situation. She holstered her pistol and reached down, taking the lead soldiers assault rifle. She removed the nearly empty clip but left the chambered round in the rifle. She then rifled through the leader's clothing, and took his remaining two clips, loading one into the rifle before moving on to his subordinates. After a quick search of their bodies, she had a total of five extra clips for the assault rifle. Slinging the rifle, she heard some kind of commotion coming over the leader's radio, and pulled the removable piece of electronics from his helmet.

Misato placed the headset on her head, pulling the transceiver from the leader's web belt. ]This is Captain Suzuki of the First Company. We have begun to encase the purple unit in Bakelite, and should be able to encase it completely to a thickness of two meters in about five to ten minutes. There is a black unit here as well, but we'll only be able to cover the black unit up to the shoulders because the holding tanks will empty before it can be encased.[ The voice that came over the radio was that of a younger man, and he sounded almost elated with his success as he spoke.

]This is Major Miyama. Good job, Captain, you're fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.[ said a woman with a husky, harsh voice. ]My troops and myself will be down to relieve you within fifteen minutes, you just hold tight until then, copy?[

]Yes, Ma'am, will do![ the soldier replied, his voice revealing even more pride in himself.

Misato crouched down again, resting a hand on Shinji's shoulder, but not grasping it. When he didn't flinch, she felt that she now had a chance to get through to him. "Shinji, they're trying to cut you off from Unit One! Do you want to just sit here or worse yet, run away? Or do you want to pilot, and maybe save us from these bastards? Quick, Shinji, pick one!"

_Why don't you just let me die like the scum that I am, Misato? It'd be easier on everyone..._ Shinji thought, his self loathing making him not wish to move. He remembered the hospital, and all of the events that happened there, and whispered something that shocked even him. "Asuka… Help me, please, Asuka…" He didn't know why he called out to her for help; even if she were awake he doubted that she would do so. _I've done so much to hurt her…_

Misato almost flinched back herself now, upon hearing Shinji call out to Asuka. She was shocked, even somewhat disgusted at hearing Shinji do so. "What the hell are you doing, Shinji?" she berated, her tone exasperated. "Are you seriously hiding behind a comatose girl at a time like this? Running from life, from reality itself?" Her tone softened somewhat, turning slightly questioning as she continued. "Lying to yourself? Are you actually going to do this, Shinji?" As she said this, Shinji started to shake his head, as if to get rid of a hallucination. Misato's voice hardened as her hand now gripped Shinji's shoulder, pulling on him slightly. "Doing things half assed like that is the _worst_ thing you can do, trust me…" Misato pulled on him once more, managing to pull him out from under the stairwell and into the alcove. She heard over the radio the other two soldiers call in from securing the parking garage, and that they were almost back. "Dammit, these weren't all of them in this group. There are more soldiers coming here, Shinji. Now get up! Get up, damn you!" she almost screamed in desperation, knowing immediately that it was a mistake. She heard alarmed calls from about fifty meters down the stairwell side of the parking garage, and glanced around the corner, seeing the soldiers moving in a fast jog, crouching slightly to offer less of a target. She pulled back around the corner just as the soldiers opened fire, chips of concrete stinging her face.

"Why don't you just leave me alone to die, Misato? I don't want to do anything else to hurt anyone…" Misato was enraged by this. Her face became flushed as anger almost overwhelmed her, and she gripped a little harder so her hand would not come loose as she attempted to pull Shinji forcibly to his feet.

_You little bastard! How can you act like such a spoiled brat right now?_ She almost said the words aloud, but since she'd pulled him into the light she could see the complete, desolate loss in his face. _Of course, I kind of helped you to be spoiled didn't I, Shinji? What the hell happened since yesterday? You weren't even like this after Nagisa died! You look so lost…_ Misato knew that saying that would have made the situation worse, so she decided to take a different route. "OK, Shinji, you're still alive, right? Since you are, why don't you at least stay alive for the time being, and die later if you want to so badly?" Shinji remained immobile, saying nothing to his guardian and superior officer. Misato didn't wait to let him give her an answer more than a second, then spoke, deciding against waiting for the soldiers in the alcove. "Ok, since you're not giving me an answer, I'm _ordering_ you to get off your ass and get to Unit One and pilot it, do you hear me?" She pulled him towards the corridor, and to her surprise, he decided to stand rather than be dragged along. _Well, at least his sense of self preservation isn't completely shot if he decided to walk instead of being drug along concrete!_ Misato thought with a touch of humor.

As Shinji and Misato rounded the corner into the adjoining corridor, they heard the sounds of bullets chewing up the wall opposite the corner as well as the corner scant instants before hearing the report of the high rate of fire assault rifles. They flinched as a few bullets ricocheted around them, and felt lucky when none of the errant bullets struck them. When they got to the end of the corridor, which was a "T" intersection, Misato shoved Shinji down to the floor on the right hand side of the intersection, and stood with her back to the wall, just around the corner. She carefully peered around the corner, allowing as little of her body as possible to show, and when she saw that the men hadn't followed as yet, she brought the assault rifle to bear, a savage smirk crossing her face. _C'mon, you bastards, show yourselves! You tried to hurt my Shinji, tried to kill him, I'll show you what happens when you get between me and my charge!_

The two soldiers that Misato waited for were staring at her handiwork. They were shocked that one woman could have taken out their leader, let alone three of their squad. The more shocked of the two was the younger man, who was bent over the only woman in the squad. When he had seen the three soldiers lying in the alcove, he had immediately moved over to check on her, hoping that she lived had somehow lived. He had ripped his goggles off and thrown his goggles to the floor. They had fallen next to the bodies of his fallen squad mates, as he had leaned over her still form, checking her vital signs for any hint of life. He slowly brought his hand away from her neck, tears flowing freely from his eyes. "Nanaka…" he whispered, knowing by the damage to her once beautiful face that she couldn't have survived even before he'd checked for a pulse. The only remaining soldier from the squad reached over to place a hand on his shoulder. As his surviving squad mate was about to speak, he shrugged the hand off violently, and grabbed his assault rifle. "Nanaka! You're going to pay for killing her, do you hear me you _bitch_!" he called down the hallway. "I'm going to take your goddamn weapon away and knock you senseless, then I'm going to gut that goddamn kid in front of you, _SLOWLY!_"

Misato's smile thinned as she heard the threat, then Shinji's gasp at the cruelty in the man's voice. "Come and try it, you heartless asshole!" she screamed, intentionally goading the man, hoping he'd get angry and do something stupid. "I'll make you scream like she did when I shot her!" Unknown to Misato, Shinji was now staring at her with wide, uncomprehending eyes.

_Why are you being like this, Misato? Why are you so willing to kill someone?_ He looked at her face, and concentrated as if he were trying to read her mind. He was surprised as she spoke to herself, as if she were thinking aloud.

"You bastards tried to kill Shinji, to take him away from me… I'll protect him from you, no matter if it means I have to kill _all_ of you!" Shinji almost bolted then, yet he didn't, much like a dear caught in the headlights of an oncoming car. He was shocked that she seemed to care for him so much, despite his self perceived failings. He had trouble believing his own ears, yet he couldn't deny that he had heard her speak those words. He was about to ask her why when she growled softly, and gritted her teeth, her finger squeezing the trigger of the weapon, the weapon bucking as it belched a stream of death down the corridor.

"_BITCH_! You're _dead_!" The young man gripped his assault rifle firmly, and bolted to his feet. He immediately ran around the corner Misato and Shinji had so recently retreated down. His squad mate, a sergeant by the name of Okiura, tried to stop him, but he was smaller and several years older than the man he was holding, and was thus dragged into the hallway with the younger, stronger man. Okiura immediately saw Misato as she braced herself, and he even saw her grit her teeth into a near smile as she opened fire on the two of them. He tried vainly to bring his assault rifle to bear on her, but he was too slow. He felt the high velocity, armor piercing bullets slam into his squad mate, then into him, as the bullets ripped easily through the younger man's body.

The only condolence he had was that his squad mate had slowed the bullets enough to only cause surface wounds when the bullets hit him. He recognized the woman at the end of the hallway as she aimed the last several rounds from her clip slammed into his upper abdomen and mid chest. The bullets caused a fire to spread through his body, driving him into unconsciousness. The last thing he saw was the image of the woman from his briefing, as well as her title and a warning from Major Miyama. The woman he saw was Major Misato Katsuragi, NERV Operations Director, and the warning was that she was very dangerous; she was to be terminated on sight, and not to be taken prisoner under any circumstances.

Misato immediately dropped the clip as the bolt stopped in the open position, and slapped in a fresh clip, pulling and releasing the bolt after doing so. She covered the two men for another moment, until she was satisfied they were no longer a threat, and looked back to Shinji, her eyes widening slightly when she saw him looking into her eyes. She held no remorse for her acts of protecting hi, but she did feel regret for Shinji having to witness it. "I'm sorry, Shinji, but we have to get to the Eva cages… C'mon, please, Shinji?" The pleading in her voice and eyes were the only things that allowed Shinji to reach out and take her hand, the only thing that allowed him to follow her down the hall and past the bodies. Misato considered making sure they were dead, but she couldn't, not with Shinji there to witness it. Although Shinji didn't stop when they approached the bodies, he looked at each one as he passed, taking note of the faces of the people that had to die for him to be safe. As they got to Misato's car, Shinji looked at her questioningly, and Misato glanced at him apologetically as she opened her door, "They're encasing Units One and Three in Bakelite, Shinji. If we take the route I came here on, we'll never make it in time. By driving through Terminal Dogma's Eva graveyard, we'll come out almost on top of the elevator that'll take you straight to the Eva cages."

Shinji looked for a moment seeming about to refuse to get in the car. As Misato's face fell into an almost panicked expression, he sighed lightly and got into the car, speaking so softly that Misato didn't hear him, "I'll go with you, Misato, but I won't fight and kill humans…" Together Misato and Shinji left the parking garage, her car roaring loudly through the enclosed space. Sergeant Okiura, the soldier than hadn't died with Misato's attack, slowly, and quite painfully, pulled himself from under his fallen squad mate. He felt blood welling up in his lungs, slowly depriving him of breath. He knew what he must do, to prevent them from getting to the Evangelion cages, though in doing so he would ensure his own death. He lowered the microphone of his comm. gear to his mouth and keyed the personal comm. channel to Major Miyama, a pained, regretful expression spreading across his features.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Studio Gainax owns Neon Genesis Evangelion. Any other name, product, or etc. are registered, trademarked, and/or copyrighted by their respective owners. Should they, or their affiliates, request it, I shall remove this fan fiction from the Web. Thank you.**

" " : Indicates spoken words.

_italics _: Indicate thoughts.

] [ : Indicates radio transmissions.

**Neon Genesis Evangelion: Angel Opposition Agency**

Book 1: Divergent Scenario; Chapter 2

**I walk through fire, I feel no pain.  
Fields of war which fuel my veins.  
In the end, son, I was once like you...**

**Cut me, child, you'll see I bleed.  
Scars of black which help me see.  
In the end, son, I was once like you...**

**Life, birth, blood, doom;  
The hole in the ground is comin' 'round soon...  
Life, birth, blood, doom;  
The hole in the ground is comin' 'round, comin' 'round soon!**

**Fields of death, the rotted womb.  
Hatred, chainsaw, the blessed doom.  
In the end, son, I was once like you...**

**The ashes that fly, the skin which burns  
Kill all you can, refuse to learn  
In the end, son, I was once like you...**

**Life, birth, blood, doom;  
The hole in the ground is comin' 'round soon...  
Life, birth, blood, doom;  
The hole in the ground is comin' 'round, comin' 'round soon**

Excerpt from: Life, Birth, Blood, Doom by Black Label Society.

**Tokyo-3, ****June Eighth, 2015****; ****10:31 A.M.** NERV Headquarters, Level 2 main passageway entrance.

Major Miyama was standing away from the rest of her troops, taking a moment to recover from the wonton, wholesale slaughter she had been ordered to execute, listening and occasionally responding to radio chatter through the tactical network. Though she was a hard, seemingly uncaring woman, this kind of slaughter was not something she favored; she was a warrior, as well as a soldier. Neither was supposed to kill civilians, not intentionally. But she had no choice, and she was silently fuming over that fact as her HUD's comm. screen flagged to her that she had a priority message incoming. It was on her private comm. channel. The private comm. channels were for emergencies only, and carried the user's name and rank to her visor display. When the major saw who was calling her, she answered almost immediately, a great deal of concern in her voice. "Miyama here, what's the problem Shoji? What's happened to Sergeant Hirayama?" She didn't blink an eye at using his first name, as none of her troops were in earshot of her now very quite voice.

]Dead, Ma'am.[ came the formal reply to her question. Major Miyama was surprised when he didn't use her first name over the private comm. channel, and that combined with the formal language he was using implied that the message was of extreme importance. ]I'm the only survivor of the squad, and I don't think that'll last much longer, I'm bleeding into my lungs quite severely…[ He was gasping the words out, his breath sounding shallower with each gasp. She gasped lightly as she realized that his injuries must indeed as sever as he stated, then looked around quickly to make sure none of her soldiers were within earshot. She watched on her screen as he sent information on the most logical route to the Eva cages for a vehicle. She realized, as Sergeant Okiura must have, that the route would take them there in less than five minutes, and she cursed softly. ]Major Katsuragi and the Third Child… Were in parking garage three four seven… They took us by surprise, and escaped…. They're heading towards the Eva cages… Through Terminal Dogma via the route three roadway… They will be able to enter… Through the R Ten area… Using either a stairwell or an elevator... Suggest you send… Reinforcements there ASAP… Okinura… Signing off…[ Major Miyama was about to order medics to be sent to the place he was at when his strained voice came over the personal comm. channel again. ]Don't send a medic, Mitsuki… I'm almost dead… Save 'em for someone… Who needs 'em…[ She heard the telltale sound of someone on the verge of unconsciousness attempting to stay awake and felt she had to say something to him. It was very hard for her, however. Only a few people outside of a small circle of friends knew that she and Sergeant Okinura were intimate with each other. And save for the two of them, no one knew that the relationship had grown from the sexual friendship it had been into a deeply emotional attraction.

There were tears in the voice of Major Mitsuki Miyama when she spoke again, something that anyone who knew here would find quite amazing. The woman that most, if not all of the people under her command, would follow into hell if need be, and come out again if she ordered it, alive or dead, was on the verge of tears. The woman who rarely smiled, almost never laughed, and had not even cried when the news of her mother's death reached her was discreetly wiping tears from her eyes, and taking deep breaths to control the urge to sob. "Un-… Understood, Shoji…" She could picture him smiling as she used his first name over the comm. "Th-thank you for your concern about the medics, Sergeant. As well as for relaying the information about Major Katsuragi and the Third Child. I'll make sure people are there. We'll get them, Shoji, I promise you…" For a moment she became very formal, her voice growing cold, but not impersonal. "You've done an exemplary job, Sergeant Okiura, I'll make sure that it goes into your records." her voice faltered again, but she forced herself to continue as if nothing were bothering her. "My only order to you is to rest, you've earned it, Sergeant…"

]Yes, Ma'am… Will do! And… Thank you… Mitsuki… I-…[ His statement was interrupted by a fit of coughing, and she could hear the blood that was forced from his lungs spatter wetly against the concrete beside him. ]Mit… Mitsuki… I'm glad… I was able… To love you… Even if it was… For such a… Short time…[ He laughed softly, interrupted by a harsh cough, as if some cosmic joke finally made sense to him. ]I love you… Mitsuki Miyama… Goodbye…[

Major Mitsuki Miyama once again restrained her emotions, though this time it was almost physically exhausting to do so. The force of the sobs that threatened with the last six words from Sergeant Okiura's mouth almost overrode her iron will, but somehow, she persevered, keeping her face tear free and neutral. "Shoji I… I love you too…" When no further response came from the radio, Major Miyama slowly leaned back against the wall behind her, as her legs threatened to give out on her. She brought her right hand up to her mouth, biting the material of her glove almost hard enough to bite through it, to keep herself from screaming. _Shoji, why did I have to lose you now? WHY?_ A few errant, unnoticed tears slid down her cheeks, to be absorbed by her uniform shirt. _I will get them, Shoji, one way or the other, I'll make those responsible for this pay!_ Unknown to Major Miyama, the entity that had once been Lieutenant Arima watched from a darkened corner of the area they were in. His eyes were sharp as he listened to her conversation with Okiura. He smiled as the body slumped against the one of the walls of the area they were in. There was a brief, unnoticed flash of light, and most of the soul of the individual within the body of Lieutenant Arima went searching for Sergeant Okiura. After a moment, Major Miyama felt a familiar caress against her cheek, and she looked up, only to see her soldiers almost ready for the next section of the operation. She also saw Lieutenant Arima walking towards her.

In a small alcove that held a stairwell and the bodies of four soldiers, Sergeant Okiura smiled as one who had found satisfaction in life can. _I love you too, Mitsuki…_ He was too far from consciousness to feel it when a stranger touched his chest. A stranger that smiled softly at him and looked upon him with sad, but hopeful pale pink eyes.

**Tokyo-3, ****June Eighth, 2015****; ****10:35 A.M.** Underground lake within the Geofront.

Unit-02 lay silently at the bottom of the lake located within the Geofront. The brilliant red bio-machine seemed almost to be sleeping like the young woman within confines of its entry plug, as if it were comfortable resting at the bottom of the lake. The Eva was far away from the death and pain going on within the structure that was NERV Headquarters. The tranquil waters were disturbed slightly by the intrusion of what appeared to be a barrel. As the barrel slowly descended, it was followed by perhaps two dozen twins to itself, all just as seemingly innocent. The depth charges made their way down into the depths, towards the bottom of the lake, many towards the red armored form of Unit-02. Within the entry plug of the Evangelion, the young pilot, Asuka Langley Sohryu, slowly stirred, then cried out softly as her perceptions slammed the fact that she was no longer asleep into her newly awakened mind. She lay on her left side, curled in a fetal position, her hands resting under her face, and her legs curled closely to her chest. "Am I alive?" she whispered weakly, as if uncertain whether the pain meant she lived or was dead. Then she heard something, a loud, low rumble, followed almost immediately by a force like someone shoving her face into a wall. She cried out in pain and covered her head as more concussions came, the force of the blasts and the pain in her body forcing her back towards unconsciousness. whispered desperately, "I don't want to die, please, I don't want to die…" She whispered the words over and over like a mantra until her body surrendered to the wave that brought unconsciousness with it.

Asuka, however, did not realize that she was unconscious. She still felt as though she were within the entry plug, and she still felt the pain form the depth charges, though to her they had stopped exploding around her. "I don't want to die..." Asuka whispered, then she heard something, a voice that seemed to be speaking in time with her whispered mantra.

"You must live!" Came a whisper, as if in response to her.

"I don't want to die… I don't want to die…" Asuka whispered on, not wanting to give whatever it was the satisfaction of knowing she heard it.

"You're still alive… You mustn't die yet, Asuka…" the voice continued, sounding strangely familiar to the girl. This woke fear within her, and through that fear, anger.

She raised her voice, as if hoping that she could drown out the voice that seemed to reverberate throughout her entire being. "I don't want to die... I don't want to die."

"I won't let you die… Yet I don't want you to kill me… And you're still alive." Slowly, the image of the entry plug around Asuka disappeared, turning into a neutrally gray darkness. The voice still reverberated around and through her, recognizably female in tone, despair taking root within the voice.

"I don't want to die. I _don't_ want to die." Asuka's voice became more and more resolute, as if she were starting to believe the mantra she spoke. She still held her eyes tightly shut, and her body was still curled into a fetal ball, as if to protect herself.

The voice within the space of nothingness with Asuka began to soften, "I won't let you die yet! You _must _keep _living_!" The voice was finally fully recognizable to Asuka. It was a voice she hadn't heard since her early childhood. It was the voice of her mother, the voice her mother possessed before the accident that had driven her mad.

Asuka started to relax from her fetal position, but before she could look towards the voice of her mother, another voice joined her mother's voice, the voice of someone who had gone insane. "Die for me! Join your momma in death, Asuka!" It was another memory, a memory that had haunted her for many years, the very memory that had helped drive her to run away from everything she had come to know.

"I _don't_ want to _die_!" Asuka protested, her voice gaining strength as she fought against the memories that came to the surface of her mind.

"You mustn't die yet!" the sane voice of her mother agreed vehemently.

"Die! Come with me, Asuka!" the maddened voice of her mother called, desperately. Asuka shook her head violently, her negative answer causing the maddened version of her mother to begin to fade.

You're alive, my darling Asuka! Live!" Asuka dared to look up from her position, seeing the image of her mother hanging from her hospital room ceiling disintegrate in front of her. This gave her the strength to fight the image of her nightmares, to accept what had happened, to finally let go of the past. As she did so, she felt as if a great weight had been lifted from her very soul, a weight she'd never know was there.

"I don't want to _DIE_! I _won't DIE_!" she screamed, the background of the hospital disappearing completely, and the hanging visage of her mother falling completely to ash and floating away into nothingness. The scene was replaced by a park, the beautifully manicured lawns and trees almost immediately setting her at ease with their sudden familiarity. "This is… _Was_ my home in Germany… When I was young…" She looked around, and saw herself as she had looked as a young child. She almost snorted a laugh at her appearance, wearing a child's dress and bows in her hair. She watched in awe as her younger self approached her mother, Kyouko Zeppelin Sohryu. _I… I don't remember this… No, that's not true, I do remember, I just… I wish I could… I wish I could be held by you again, Mamma! It's been so long, and I've missed you so much…_ Then, as suddenly as the flash from an explosion, she was looking at her mother from her younger self's perspective, reaching out to her mother as if asking to her mother to hold her. As her mother reached out, Asuka felt the warmth of her hand, the she looked back to herself, seeing that she was once again dressed in her plugsuit. She expected to no longer feel her mother's hand, but she still felt it, warm and comforting as her mother's hand gave a reassuring squeeze. She looked up, and saw her mother smiling down at her, with the image of Unit-02 superimposed around her. Asuka understood what that meant, and the realization shocked her. She smiled, and then her mouth opened in a laugh of pure, childlike joy. "Momma! So this is where you've been? I understand now, Momma, you've been with me all along, haven't you?"

"Yes, my little Asuka, I've been here watching you grow into the beautiful young woman you've become… I have tried to protect you as best I could, and I'm sorry I was incapable of helping you more than I have been…" Kyouko lifted her head up, closing her eyes in sadness and pain. "I wasn't whole before, I was incomplete, and I needed your love to rebind the tear that has kept my soul incomplete… But I'm here completely now, and I'll be able to protect you better than ever before, if you'll let me…" Kyouko smiled regretfully down to her daughter, and was relieved to see her daughter smile as if it was nothing to worry about.

"I… I'm the one who should be sorry, Momma… I'm sorry I didn't realize that you were here before now…" Asuka was about to continue when her mother cut her off, chiding her gently.

"You could not have known, Asuka." Kyouko pulled Asuka into a fierce hug, tears appearing in her eyes, then gently pushed Asuka to an arms length, so as to look into her daughter's eyes. "Neither of us knew how to contact the other, so neither of us can be at fault! We're together when you're piloting, and that's all that matters, alright?"

"But…" Asuka paused for a moment, to collect her thoughts from the jumbled, chaotic morass they had become since the fifteenth angel. She realized slowly that since she'd come into contact with the soul of her mother her thoughts were calming and becoming more coherent. While she wanted to say something profound and loving to her mother, she couldn't bring herself to do so. Although the vestiges of her pride did not cause her to be arrogant as she had been, it still would not allow such behavior, even with her mother. It went against everything she had convinced herself she was supposed to be over the last several years of her life. She bowed her head, her voice coming out at first as a bare whisper. "I… I'm a coward, Momma… I ran away…" Kyouko tried to say something, but Asuka continued, heedless of her mother's attempts to console her. "I closed myself off from you, I let my piloting skills fall off… I was ready to kill myself, Momma! I would have, if Section Two hadn't found me…" Asuka started to sob lightly, as the enormity of how far she'd fallen struck her.

"Asuka…" Kyouko stated softly, pulling Asuka back into a motherly embrace, stroking her daughter's hair softly. "I know how horrible you felt, but it's in the past…"

Asuka smiled slightly upon hearing her mother say this. She even believed it for a moment. Yet before Asuka could accept her mother's comfort, her pride, that part of her psyche that had so long ago placed barriers against letting other people into her trust slapped her in the face with all of the events of the recent past. She even felt herself falling into agreement with that snide, hateful part of herself. _Why are you even bothering, Momma? I'm not worth the effort, I'm not worthy of your love! Why can't you see that? Do I have to tell you how worthless I am?_ Asuka looked up at her mother, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears, her voice raised to an almost scream as she now tried to shun even her mother. "I'm a hollow shell, Mother, can't you see that? I'm not worth anything; I'm just a useless doll like Rei, and a sniveling, pathetic coward, even worse than Shinji!" As she finished, she shoved herself away from her mother, the hateful part of her inner self that feared being hurt again attempting to sever the tenuous, hopeful link that had occurred between herself and her mother. She didn't want to, and tried to force her will not to do so, but her haggard emotions and the remnants of her pride had overpowered her will. She didn't know what to expect as she stood there, looking into the emotionally clouded eyes of her mother, eyes that were as unreadable as her own.

So intently was she staring into her mother's eyes that she didn't have a chance to see that slap that her mother delivered to the left side of her face until it had happened. Asuka could now see emotion in her mother's eyes, anger, every bit as strong as any she herself had felt. Kyouko spoke then, her voice harsh with anger, but she did not raise her voice too much beyond a normal speaking level. "How _dare_ you! A hollow shell? A Coward? Worthless? A useless _doll_? Do you think I'd have come back to you if I felt that you were _any_ of these things?" Asuka opened her mouth to speak, but her mother cut her off by bringing her right hand up, palm towards Asuka. "Let me finish!" she reached her right hand out, grasping Asuka's shoulder lightly but firmly. "You say the same things about yourself that you saw within them… Why is that I wonder? You were _teammates_, Asuka! How can you call Rei a doll when she was starting to show the very emotions a doll _can _not possess? She even tried to help you to _contact _me!" As Kyouko spoke, Asuka tried to look away, only to be confronted by the very images her mother was speaking of. Asuka knew the things her mother said were true, but accepting what her mother said was extremely difficult for Asuka. "And Shinji… Was he a coward when he jumped into the volcano to save you? Was he a coward the other times he helped you? Would he have kissed you when you approached him in the way you did if he were a coward?"

Asuka reeled as if she were a sailor on a drinking binge. She was seeing everything that her mother mentioned flashing into the space around her, as if she were in some kind of strange movie theater. She looked back at her mother, her voice confused and even a little frightened. "How do you know about that? How do you know about those things that happened outside of Eva if you're within Eva, Momma?"

"Because, Asuka, whenever you synch with Eva Unit Two, I see _all _of your memories." Kyouko's voice was still harsh, giving very little leeway to Asuka, even with the fear and confusion she was feeling.

"Then you've _seen_ how they are! You know why I say Shinji's a coward and Rei's a doll and how I'm now worse than _either_ of them!" Asuka screamed this at the top of her lungs, uncaring if it hurt her voice, or her mother. Her pride was not going to give in to logic without a fight, and even she knew that the struggle within her would either tear her apart or end with her a more complete person. "Rei just keeps to herself and doesn't talk, doing whatever the damned Commander wants of her. And Shinji!" she snorted a derisive laugh thinking of him, in his apron cooking breakfast like the wimp she considered him to be. "He _is_ a coward, he always says 'I'm sorry' even if it's not his fault, he cleans, he cooks, just like any good housebroken male… And he ran away twice… And…" Asuka paused, searching her memories for that last damning piece of information about Shinji that would prove her point. She found it and threw it out for her mother to hear just before her mother could interrupt the silence that had descended. "He didn't even come to help me when I needed him the most! He… He's just a worthless _coward_!" Tears were streaming down Asuka face as she spoke, her tone not one of accusation or truly of anger, but of betrayal.

Kyouko came within a heartbeat of slapping Asuka again for saying that. She knew intimately what happened to her daughter, and the sense of betrayal her daughter felt about Shinji not coming to help her. She also had the advantage of not having been the one it was happening to. The memories from Kyouko's perspective during that battle came to the fore, and Asuka tried to look away from them, and to close herself off from hearing them. Try as she might, though, she could not shut out the sound of the battle, and the images of the memory stayed directly in front of her, no matter where she looked, and she was too shocked to close her eyes. Kyouko had heard Shinji, and even the rest of the bridge crew, all but begging Commander Ikari to let him help Asuka. The most painful had been Shinji's cries, appealing to his father to allow him to sortie to help Asuka, to no avail. She had also heard the subtle tone of anger in Rei's voice at what was happening, and had heard the subtle growl that Ayanami had given when firing the high energy particle cannon at the angel, as well as when she had thrown the Lance of Longinus into the heavens to kill the angel. Kyouko realized that logic would not work against the pure emotional rush that Asuka was being fueled by. She now saw the perfect path to get through to her daughter, and a soft, loving smile crossed her face. She drew Asuka into another embrace, and was surprised and even pleased when Asuka hugged her back, laying her head against Kyouko's right shoulder, all with surprisingly little protest. She spoke in a very soft voice, completely devoid of the anger she had displayed a moment earlier. "Asuka, Shinji may be willing to cook and clean, he may back down from you, or refuse to protest too loudly when you do something… But Shinji Ikari is no coward. I know this because I _know_ that my daughter wouldn't fall in love with a 'sniveling, pathetic coward'…"

At this, Asuka pulled back enough to look at her mother, her look on her face horrified as a blush spread slowly across her cheeks. "I'm not in love with him! He… He's just a boy, I'm a woman and I only want to have a man in my life, Mother!"

Kyouko smiled thinly, her voice ironic when she spoke. "Asuka, first, yes you _are_ a woman… A beautiful, opinionated, aggressive, but _young_ woman… One who hasn't had enough time in life to truly enjoy life, who grew up too soon, without her mother there to help her… And as I said, I'm so very sorry that I wasn't there to help you as you grew, but the past is the past, and cannot be changed…" Kyouko then let her smile soften into a loving, irony filled smile as she continued. "And if I remember correctly, the things you say you hate about Shinji are the very same things that attracted you to Mr. Kaji, if I remember correctly… Yes, he cooked, and fairly well, too, from your memories… He cleaned up after himself, and even after you… He did chores so you wouldn't have to…" Asuka's blush intensified as her mother continued to speak, causing her to look away. For Asuka, this was a small mistake in and of itself, as she could see that her mother was correct. "Yes, he had more worldly knowledge than Shinji, but I'm sure that would have changed with Shinji over time!"

"But…" Asuka tried to protest, but was cut off as her mother continued.

"Asuka, let me tell you something… I used to be a lot like you, a little firebrand that thought she knew everything, and didn't know when to quit. I may not have been as _arrogant_ as you can be, but I had some things to hide from everyone, too…" As she spoke of this, Kyouko's face hardened for a moment, then lightened as she continued her train of thought. "Asuka, when I first met your father, I thought many of the same things you did about Shinji, but I was also older than you… I knew a few things about the world that even a _young woman_ like you wouldn't know. But I was still ignorant. Yet as I got to know him, he turned out to be perfect for me. He was also a lot like Shinji, is some ways, timid around new or loud, obnoxious people… Afraid to say anything wrong around me… But… He could cook, he cleaned up after himself, and even me… He took my constant complaints of how life was going with college with a smile and stayed with me, even though I was a royal _bitch_ to him at times…"

Asuka couldn't help but feel the familiarity to her situation with Shinji, and she looked away from her mother, trying to hide from the truth that perhaps he did care for her. Then her anger flared again, bringing her memories of the battle with the fifteenth angel, and all of the times he'd bested her. She looked up to her mother, and spoke in a thin, almost desolate voice. "He's just a boy, I couldn't care for him like…"

Instead of letting her daughter exasperate her further, Kyouko interrupted her, her voice a little sharper than intended. "Don't forget, Asuka, I see _everything_ you remember when you synch with Unit Two!" With that, she looked to her left in a casual manner, as if towards something unimportant. Asuka's gaze followed her mother's, only to encounter her own memories, most of them from her perspective. She herself on the deck of the USN _Over The Rainbow_, looking at him in a dismissive manner, then later, yelling at him for being a pervert but secretly thanking him that he was there to help her overcome her own fear. She saw herself later as she was moving in with Shinji and Misato, berating him for being a "housebroken male", yet secretly glad that he was. She saw many more images of him, secretly admiring glances stolen when no one was looking, or taken directly while yelling at him. She felt almost dirty for the manner in which she had looked at him while insulting him or even while physically abusing him. She saw other memories, as well, memories she had not thought anyone knew about. She saw her fantasies of Shinji, some tame and romantic, others quite blatantly erotic.

"OK, I admit that he's cute, and he may even become handsome, but he's still a little boy! Just because I think of him like that sometimes doesn't mean anything, Momma!" Asuka's protest wasn't as strong as it could have been due to the fact that she had a very deep blush spreading across her face.

Seeing Asuka's blush, her mother smiled at her in a teasing manner, and spoke an inflection in her voice that Asuka found to be very familiar from living with Misato for several months. "That's why the only person that you fantasized about in that manner other than Kaji was Shinji? In fact, your dreams and imaginings about Shinji were even more blantant…" Asuka was expecting to see and hear more of her fantasies when her mother said that, so she closed her eyes in order to not hear them. What she heard instead was a string of German curses from her, and a stammered apology from Shinji.

Asuka immediately snapped her eyes fully open, to be confronted with another time she had cursed him, then a time she had slapped him, and so on, time and time again, seeing him come back from the yelling, the berating, the emasculation, the occasional physical assault, without so much as judging her as being in the wrong, except for the few times he suggested that she could be nicer. "Momma, please… Don't show me this…" Her mother didn't give in to her daughter's request, showing her more and more times she had hurt Shinji, both emotionally and physically, until finally she heard herself yelling that she hated him and everything else. She remembered that time well. It was directly after the fifteenth angel, when her slow downward slide became an out of control spiral. "Momma!" Asuka whispered loudly, moving back to her mother and grabbing her mother's shoulders, her eyes pleading. "Please stop this! Can't you see, even if I wanted to love him, even if he ever felt that way towards me, I've done such horrible things to him… He couldn't want to feel that way… Not for me…" Asuka fell to her knees, sliding out of her mother's embrace, and brought her hands to her face. She cried because she realized, for the first time, exactly how much she had hurt Shinji, and was starting to realize that perhaps she did care for him. 

"Asuka!" Kyouko snapped after a short time of her daughter crying, her voice bringing Asuka's face from her hands to stare at Kyouko, as tears streaked down her face. Kyouko kissed her on the forehead, and then wiped Asuka's tears away, a sad, but understanding smile taking to her features. "I'd say he cares for you a great deal. He put up with your attitude, and your abuse, for months. He tried in his own way to help you, and although his attempts did come a bit late, at least he _tried_!" Asuka opened her mouth to protest again, and Kyouko held up a hand to forestall any further arguments. "Asuka, I believe that he loves you enough that he'll forgive you… He cares so much for people, Asuka, and those that he has chosen to love hold a special place in his heart. You are one of those people, I'm certain. When this is over, go to him, tell him what you feel about him, no matter how hard it is, let him _know_, Asuka…" Kyouko's face hardened, and she stood, drawing Asuka up with her. "But you will have time later… Right now, I believe that you have a battle to attend to…"

Asuka awoke within the entry plug to Unit-02, and felt the concussion from the depth charges still exploding around her. The explosions were not as on target as the others were, though they still hurt. She gritted her teeth, and a slight grimace took to her features as she realized she was under the lake within the Geofront. There was a brief lull in the dropping of the depth charges, and the area fell into a deathly silence, except for the radio traffic she was picking up from NERV. She heard on the techs, Makoto Hyuuga, stating something about a battle in the Geofront and concentrated upon what he was saying. ]We've just intercepted a message from within the Headquarters! The Prime Minister's office has ordered unconditional termination of _all_ NERV personnel, including non combat personnel." She didn't need to hear anymore. The fact that they were willing to hurt unarmed technicians and civilian workers was enough for her to consider them viable targets for her Unit-02. _And if Shinji is within Headquarters, that means that they'll kill him… I… I don't know if I love him yet… I don't know exactly how I feel… But if he dies, because I didn't help him…_ She felt something on her cheeks, and realized that she was crying. _Why the hell am I crying?_ She asked, event though she knew the answer already. Asuka knew that she was crying at the thought of losing Shinji, and never having a chance to find out how he felt, or to tell him how she felt. _OK, maybe I do care for him, a little… Maybe even love him like Momma said…_ Images came to her mind, images of Shinji wounded, bleeding his life away somewhere within the massive maze that was the headquarters building. Fear welled up within her as she thought of never finding out if they truly felt anything for each other. Sorrow and grief soon followed, washing over her in a sickly wave as she thought of all the time lost to her own foolish pride, and all of the hurt she had inflicted with her pride. Underneath all of this, however, was anger, slowly building, its fires being fueled by the very fear, sorrow, and grief that was trying to tear her back down into the depths of her own mind. _NO!_ She screamed at herself. The anger then flared within her, devouring the other emotions until all that remained was a smooth, tempered core of rage. Not the kind of anger a person feels towards another person. Not even the frustrated anger she had possessed when her pride had been her driving force. This was a far more primal rage._ I… I may not know exactly how I fee, but I won't stand by and lose him before I even know for certain! I _will _find out how I feel for him, and how he feels for me! I'll be DAMNED before I let him die today!_

Asuka spoke a few quick words, disengaging the last few safety interlocks that kept the Eva from going completely active. As she did so, she felt herself merging with her Unit-02 like never before. It felt as if she'd never been truly piloting it before. She _felt_ the currents of the water that she was in, the _felt_ the concussion waves from the last few less than accurate depth charges. As another barrage of depth charges fell, she thought of expanding her AT field. The thought had barely started to pass the threshold of her mind, and she felt the undeniable sensation of it expanding to encompass the area directly around her, protecting her from the concussive blasts of the depth charges. That's when it struck her, the realization that was on the very edge of her conscious thoughts for all of her time piloting Unit-02, the realization that her mother had truly never left her. _Mama... I understand it now! The meaning of the AT Field, the essence of it being what it is! It's always protecting me… Always watching over me, just like you… It's part of the machine, and I can use it because you're in here! _Softly, Asuka spoke aloud, not completely trusting her voice to speak. "We're always..." Asuka stopped to keep her composure, not wanting to break down again so soon after regaining her ability to pilot. She raised her voice almost to the levels she had used before falling into a coma. "We're always together, Momma! Now let's go protect that idiot and everyone else, and get out of this alive! Let's go, Momma!"

On the surface of the lake, upon the destroyer that had been bombarding Unit-02 in a vain attempt to destroy it, two soldiers had been watching the surface of the water as the explosions from the depth charges shattered the otherwise still surface. They were both startled into cowering as a massive explosion of violet light flashed through the surface of the lake, forming a cross of light several hundred meters high. They looked towards each other in a manner that was almost congratulatory, until they saw something break the surface. It was unrecognizable at first, just a deep shadow with four menacing pinpoints of white light below the surface. Then the massive head of Evangelion Unit-02 broke the surface, its red armor glistening as water cascaded from its surface. The four glowing points of light were it's eyes, which were now narrowed at the ship before the massive machine. After a moment of contemplation, it reached underneath the ship, braced itself, and lifted it bodily from the water. As the destroyer was lifted, the men on the deck only had a moment to wonder what had happened when the ends of the ship broke just past where Unit-02 held it aloft. Fully half of the crew on the deck of the ship were dumped to their deaths as the ends broke, the superstructure miraculously holding against the unusual weight change. On the shoreline of the lake, orders were passed, received, and executed, and a massive barrage of fire was brought to bear upon the seemingly triumphant form of Unit-02. Asuka saw the flashes of light and the first few cannon shots from tanks lining the shore glance harmlessly off of her AT field. She also saw that a very large barrage of missiles had been fired towards her. Asuka tilted the ship towards the shore, the ship taking the brunt of the damage barrage. The rest of the crew on the first few decks of the ship were instantly killed as hundreds of warheads smashed into the deck. In a move that displayed exactly how foolish an attack from the ground forces was, Asuka hefted the destroyer and _threw_ it towards the shoreline. The ship slammed into the shore, destroying an entire artillery and tank platoon in one fell swoop.

On the shoreline opposite Unit-02, an officer knew at once there was only one way to stand a chance of surviving for any length of time against the massive war machine. "Attention! Go for the cable, deprive that monster of power! Concentrate _all_ firepower on the cable until it's severed!" Within seconds the cable was severed, the high powered cable flashing and sputtering like a frenzied snake as it automatically reeled itself into its deployment structure. Asuka angrily ejected the useless power plug from the rear of her Eva, cursing as she did so. "You bastards can't stop me! Even without power, I have more than enough armor to defend myself from you, as well as my AT field. I _won't_ lose against you!" By the time she had finished saying this, she had made it to the shore. Asuka looked around and smirked as thousands of rounds of ammunition and dozens of missiles struck the surface of her AT field harmlessly. She quickly decimated the remainder of the JSSDF ground troops that dared to attack her, her final actions upon them causing a massive fire to erupt around Unit-02. Asuka calmly ordered the Eva forward, walking through the flames as if they weren't there. As Unit-02 walked forward, flames licking harmlessly at its legs and flanks, the four eyes of Unit-02 began to glow even brighter, making the already menacing machine look all the more dangerous and frightening.

High above Asuka's battle to destroy the invaders of NERV, nine delta wing craft circled lazily. Upon the bottom of these massive transport jets were white shapes very reminiscent of the Evangelions. Atop each of the planes were numbers, ranging from five to thirteen. The cargo of these massive transports were the Mass Produced Evangelions. As they approached closer to the Geofront, a red entry plug was inserted into each one. The cover that kept the entry plug protected slid closed over the vulnerable internal workings of the Mass Production Evangelions, and each was launched. After falling for several dozen meters, each Eva unfurled a set of massive wings. The wings were the same color as the body of each Eva, an sickly, pallorous white, except for the mouth and the black colored joints of their armor. The mouth was surrounded by a line of pure red, the mark tracing down half the length of the massive head of each Eva. Each one held in its right hand a massive, double ended, axe-like sword, the blade sharpened all the way around except for a small section in the middle of one side where the weapon was held. The Eva's circled around the perimeter of the Geofront, before finally settling around Unit-02 in a rough circle about a kilometer in diameter at the bottom of the Geofront.

The immense machines landed with a few mighty flaps of their massive wings, the ground shaking with their impact. Each one furled its wings, which were stored in a protected compartment on each unit's back. With their wings furled, the movements production Eva's were viewable in all of their twisted glory. Except for their primary color and the fact that they had wings, the Production Unit's bodies were very similar to that of Asuka's Unit-02. The general shape, however, was where the similarities ended. The Production Units were slightly taller, with larger, stronger arms than Unit-02. The arms, legs, and head appeared at first to be uncovered by armor. Closer inspection would reveal, however, those areas to be covered by a flexible, yet very strong armor, that moved with the body underneath much like a neoprene wetsuit does on a diver's body. The heads of the Production Units were like that of an eyeless monitor lizard, their lower jaw forming an under bite and their massive mouths filled with vicious, razor sharp teeth. Their movements and the way they held themselves gave the impression of both the monitor lizards their heads so resembled and a carrion bird nearing the time to feast upon some animal's corpse. Asuka looked around herself, shock evident in her features. "The Eva Production series? Since when have they been completed?" She shook herself free of her shock and began to study them, feeling that this would be a very challenging fight.

**Tokyo-3, June Eighth, 2015; 10:37 A.M.** Central Dogma lower levels, vehicle roadway 3.

Misato and Shinji sat in tense silence as she drove her blue car down the roadway in the lower levels of Central Dogma. The cause of the silence was not merely because of the situation, but also the fact that they were passing the remains of the failed Eva prototypes that sat discarded, broken, rotting reminders of NERV's many failures to make the Evangelions a reality. Shinji was staring out the window towards the Eva failures, his face hooded in depression. Misato was staring resolutely at the road, still fuming at Shinji's earlier actions. The silence was shattered as Misato's cellular phone rang. She quickly picked the phone up and answered the call. "Katsuragi." The voice on the other end of the phone was that of Maya Ibuki, and the information she gave Misato made the major's face light up like no news for some time had. "Ok, thank you Maya. As soon as you can, could you patch me through to her? Thanks!" She glanced towards Shinji, splitting her attention between him and the road, her eyes afire with determination and hope. "Shinji, Asuka's awake! She's alive and fighting. You see? There _is_ hope, Shinji!" Shinji turned towards her, and Misato almost cried as she saw the relieved, almost happy look on his face, and the hope in his eyes. Then, just as suddenly as they had appeared, the emotions were replaced by a desolation that was even more intense than that she had seen before. "Shinji?" she asked, seeing tears sparkling in his eyes, but not drop as he turned his face away from her. Misato could do nothing other than stare at him hopefully, but forlornly, for several seconds before turning her attention fully back towards the road.

"Th- that… That's good to hear, Misato… Maybe… Maybe we'll live through this after all. I know that if you were relying on me we'd all die, and..." He stopped his whispered monologue as Misato looked over towards him for a moment, her eyes hard at his apparent lack of self worth.

_What the hell, is going on, Shinji?_ Misato screamed at him mentally, knowing that doing so physically wouldn't help to change his attitude. _You looked so happy when you heard that she was awake, why such a severe change of demeanor? What the hell is wrong?_ Misato stopped her mental ramblings, knowing that they were as useless to her as they were for Shinji. Instead, she looked back to him for a moment, considering what she could say to help sway him. She looked back to the road, pondering the information she had gleaned from NERV's database in addition to what Kaji had already found. _Maybe if I tell him what's been going on, it'll help him… I hope so, it's tearing me apart seeing him like this…_ Misato drew in a breath, letting it out in a loud, quick rush. She steeled herself for any possible protests from Shinji, and spoke, her voice soft and contemplative as she spoke. "Shinji, I know that you've gone through hell recently. I also know that you blame yourself for a lot of it…" She glanced over, and felt a small wave of nervousness pass over her as she beheld Shinji's eyes. She'd hit the mark far closer than she though she would have. Shinji's face darkened even further, as a deep, wrathful anger flushed his face. As he opened his mouth to speak, Misato held her hand up, stalling his words before he could speak. "Please, here me out, Shinji… Please?" Misato waited for a response from the young man, and felt relief as he slowly relaxed, his head held low and his hair covering his eyes. "I know how you feel, I… I've felt that way a few times recently myself. But I have found out things, things about what's been happening around here." She took another deep breath, letting this one out slowly. She was staring at the road ahead again, and did not see Shinji turn towards her slightly, his eyes showing a keen interest in what she was going to say. She was concerned that he would explode with what she was about to reveal, mostly because the very thought angered her, as well. "We've all been used as pawns, Shinji… Not by NERV, at least not like this… But by Selee, the organization that preceded NERV. All of us, Shinji… You, me, Asuka, Rei, Ritsuko… Even your father, as much as it angers me to admit that!"

"The Commander? Manipulated? That's almost funny, Misato…" Shinji said, his voice barely above a whisper, and holding none of the humor his statement implied. His eyes were hard as he said this, barely hinting at his feelings for his estranged father.

"This is serious, Shinji, deadly serious…" Misato's voice was as Shinji's eyes had been, a vice only a few had ever heard, as she used it almost exclusively during battles with the angels. "Like I said, Selee is behind what's happening right now, and what has been happening. This is what Kaji was searching for, Shinji…" Misato's voice dropped even lower, becoming harsh with restrained emotions. She doubled up her left fist, slamming it angrily against the dashboard before returning it to the steering wheel. "They killed him for discovering the truth, Shinji. The truth is that Selee is planning to initiate Third Impact. Not with Angels and their manipulative bullshit, but by using the Eva series." Misato had been hard voiced before, but as she spoke now, her voice hardened even further, and her face became pale as old memories came to the forefront of her mind. "Fifteen years ago, Second Impact was caused by humans on a scientific mission in the Antarctic. This was no accident as we've been led to believe, but it was caused entirely on purpose. It was done in that manner in order to minimize the damage by returning the first angel, Adam, to an embryonic state before the other Angels awoke." Misato glanced over to see Shinji looking at her with an focused, almost scathing intensity. Misato was startled by what she saw, and barely kept this from her face. She felt a twinge of fear looking at Shinji, as at that moment he resembled his father, Commander Gendou Ikari. "Shinji," she said in a soft, sad voice, the tone of her voice calming Shinji slightly. "That is the truth. Kaji sought it, and gave his life for it." Misato returned her attention to the road, her voice continuing in the same tone of voice. "We humans were born from a being called Lilith. She is one of the primary sources of human life, just like Adam. We humans are the eighteenth Angel. All of the other angels were possibilities of what we, as humans, might have become…" Misato shook her head, sighing softly as she did so. "Humans that have given up their human form. Sadly, we had to reject each other, even though we're all human... That's the way of this entire, chaotic mess that we're in currently."

Misato brought her blue sports car to a slow, controlled stop, not the usual reckless stunt maneuver she normally used. She looked over to Shinji, who's head was bowed, his hands resting limply in his lap. "We're here…" Misato said in her soft tone of voice, startling him out of his reverie. When she was sure she had his attention, her voice became more forceful, to make sure he kept his attention. "Listen, Shinji. You must destroy all of the Eva series. It's the only way to stay alive. For all of us, all of humanity, to stay alive! Do you understand, Shinji?" Seeing no response coming, Misato closed her eyes for a moment, to calm her emotions. "Let's go, Shinji…" she said softly once more, getting out of her car, and moving around to his side of her car. She opened his door, Misato's cellular phone rang. When she answered, she heard the strained, angry voice of Asuka on the other end.

"What, Misato, I'm kinda busy with the Eva Production units right now!" she said, her voice tinged with excitement, fear, and the adrenaline rush of combat.

Misato allowed a small smile to cross her face at the display of seeming bravado from Asuka, and just as quickly became all business. "Listen Asuka. You must destroy all of the EVA series. I'll have Shinji there to help assist you soon. Do your best, OK? She changed lines on her phone, feeling relief as Makoto picked up immediately. "We can get to Eva Unit 01 by way of emergency route twenty, right?" After hearing his Makoto's affirmative answer, she put her phone back on hold, and pulled Shinji out of her car. He didn't resist, but he only allowed himself to be drug along at first, until it became obvious that Misato _would_ drag him, whether he wanted her too or not. Soon enough he was keeping pace with her, and they made good time for elevator R-Ten-Twenty. The only thing standing between them and the hallway leading to the elevator was a cross passageway that allowed the Eva's to pass through it, and the several dozen soldiers converging along another corridor, murder in their eyes…


End file.
